Blackspot program rolls out to Eggs and Bacon Bay

By Michael PattersonApril 6, 2017

How does a small, picturesque area in Tasmania’s Huon Valley get a name like Eggs and Bacon Bay?

Popular belief is the Bay acquired its name after Lady Jane Franklin, the wife of the 18th century governor John Franklin, ate bacon and eggs there, but it may also have been named after the red and yellow “bacon and eggs” wildflowers that grow in the area.

I learnt all this when I looked it up, using Telstra’s superfast 4GX service – state of the art mobile technology that’s recently come to Eggs and Bacon Bay for the first time, thanks to the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program (MBSP).

Under Round One of the MBSP, Telstra is rolling out expanded mobile coverage to 14 Tasmanian locations and Eggs and Bacon Bay is the first one off the boat. We also expect to add another three sites to our rollout in Tasmania under Round Two of the MBSP.

We are expanding 3G and 4G mobile coverage to 577 locations nationally under the MBSP, delivering world class mobile technology to parts of rural and regional Australia that have little to no mobile coverage.

Locals in Eggs and Bacon Bay can now talk with loved ones and customers while visitors can video call and upload photos of the beautiful bay using Telstra’s 4GX service, which brings you our fastest 4G speeds on your 4GX device in Australia.

We have also activated four innovative 4G small cells in other Tasmanian locations to ensure more of our regional areas can access fast mobile broadband.

I’m excited to report our rollout in Tasmania ramps up from here. We expect to activate the majority of sites in the state approved under Round One by the end of this year, delivering new, state of the art mobile technology to thousands more Tasmanians. We also expect to integrate the other three sites selected under Round Two into our schedule soon.

Significant work has been occurring behind the scenes, including design planning, community consultations, the formulation and development of planning applications and working with local councils to get the best outcome for everybody.

We know that increased coverage is the number one priority for people in regional Australia.

The success of the MBSP demonstrates that the current regulatory settings combined with public and private co-investment is the most effective way to expand mobile coverage to people in rural and regional Australia, whether they’re residents, visitors or businesses working to bring home the bacon, so to speak.

Michael is Telstra Area General Manager, Tasmania with over fifteen years experience in Telstra covering consumer, business and enterprise customers and managing stakeholders including as manager of corporate and public affairs strategy, media and sponsorships. Michael is Chairman of the Telstra Tasmanian Board a leader of high performance teams and has worked in Sydney, Adelaide and Tasmania.